Tapputi facts for kids
Tapputi, also known as Tapputi-Belatekallim, was an amazing woman from ancient times. She lived around 1200 BC in a place called Mesopotamia, which is now part of Iraq. Tapputi is famous because she is the world's first known chemist! She was a skilled perfume-maker. The story of her work is written on a special clay tablet called a cuneiform tablet. The name "Belatekallim" means she was a female overseer of a palace.
Who Was Tapputi?
Tapputi lived in Babylon, a very old city in Mesopotamia. This was a long, long time ago, more than 3,000 years! She was not just a perfume-maker. She also worked as an overseer at the Royal Palace. This means she helped manage things in the palace.
Her Amazing Work as a Chemist
Tapputi was a true pioneer in chemistry. She created perfumes using many different natural ingredients. She used beautiful flowers and various oils. Some of her ingredients included calamus, a plant with a sweet smell. She also used cyperus, myrrh, and balsam.
Tapputi knew how to mix these ingredients with water or other liquids. Then, she used a special process called distillation. This process heats liquids to turn them into vapor, then cools the vapor back into liquid. This helps make things very pure. She would distill and filter her perfumes many times. This shows she understood advanced chemistry for her time. The tools she used for distillation are also the oldest ones ever mentioned!
Tapputi even worked with another researcher. Her name was (—)-ninu, but sadly, part of her name has been lost to history. Together, they explored the science of making wonderful scents.
See also
In Spanish: Tapputi para niños
- Timeline of chemistry
- Timeline of women in science
